Babi

Other Names

Associations

Family & Other Connections

Stories & Other Information

Babi is depicted as a baboon, one of the common animals seen in Ancient Egypt. Thus the qualities of the baboon are associated with him, including aggression and a high sex drive.

Babi was thought to be viscious and bloodthirsty, and would murder humans and devour their entrails. He represented destruction, and would consume the souls of the unrighteous after they had been weighed by Ma’at.

He was also seen as representing the virility of the dead, and is often depicted with an erection. Sometimes his penis was said to be the bolt on the doors of heaven; other times it was said to be the mast on the ferry which conveyed the righteous souls to their place in the Underworld.

Misc

It is possible that by deifying the baboon as Babi, and worshipping him, the Ancient Egyptians may have hoped he would protect them from the dangers of the baboons they encountered during life.